ABSTRACT
Pediatric asthma is one of the most common chronic medical conditions in children. Behavioral scientists working within this area are confronted with a variety of empirical and clinical problems that range from the measurement of disease severity to the day-to-day management problems associated with chronic disease processes (e.g., anxiety associated with an asthma attack). Multiple burdens are associated with any chronic illness and asthma is no exception (1,2), yet these burdens occur in the context of other child and family variables (e.g., developmental psychopathology, family coping ability, etc.). Behavioral scientists working in the area of pediatric asthma generally agree that a complex interaction occurs between disease characteristics and child/family characteristics that has a significant effect upon the long-term outcomes of chronic diseases such as pediatric asthma.
